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Clipse, also known as the Clipse (pronounced as clips) is an American hip-hop duo from Virginia Beach, Virginia. Formed in 1994, it consists of brothers Gene "Malice" and Pusha T. Pusha T was known as Terrar during the group's early years, while Malice was originally known as Malicious. As key figures in establishing Virginia as one of Down South's strongholds in hip hop, the duo's frequent subject matter is based around illegal drug trade.
The two were discovered by producer and fellow Virginia Beach native, Pharrell Williams, who convinced the artists to work in tandem. Williams served as executive and lead producer for their first two albums, as part of the Neptunes and as a frequent guest performer. Williams led Clipse to sign with Elektra Records, for whom they recorded an album, Exclusive Audio Footage. The album was shelved, and the duo were dropped by the label after the lukewarm commercial response of its supposed lead single, "The Funeral".
In 2001, Williams signed the duo to Arista Records as the first act to sign with his newfound Star Trak Entertainment imprint. Their debut studio album, Lord Willin' (2002), peaked at number four on the Billboard 200, received gold certification by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA), and was met with critical praise. After a several-year delay due to record-label reshuffling, the duo's second album and third albums, Hell Hath No Fury (2006) and Til the Casket Drops (2009), were both met with critical acclaim despite commercial stagnation. In 2010, the duo went on hiatus and both members pursued solo careers.
Clipse officially reunited to guest appear alongside Kenny G on Kanye West's 2019 song "Use This Gospel", from the latter's album Jesus Is King. The duo's fourth studio album, Let God Sort Em Out was Self-publishing (distributed by Roc Nation Distribution) on July 11, 2025 to widespread acclaim. Produced entirely by Williams, it was preceded by the singles "Ace Trumpets", "So Be It" and "Chains & Whips".
Also in 2002, Clipse were guest artists on Justin Timberlake's first solo single, "Like I Love You", another Neptunes-produced crossover radio hit. It peaked at number 11 on the Billboard Hot 100. Clipse also featured on the song "What Happened to That Boy" with Birdman. Pusha T featured in singer Nivea's second single "Run Away (I Wanna Be with U)", which peaked at number 47 in Australia. In 2003, Clipse went on tour with rapper 50 Cent.
While Clipse resumed work on the album, and eventually finished its recording, the duo became increasingly frustrated with Jive, as the label overlooked it in favor of the more pop-oriented acts on its roster, which caused numerous delays in the release of Hell Hath No Fury. As delays continued, the group asked for a formal release from its contract. When Jive refused to grant this request, the duo sued the label. While the litigation took place, Clipse released new material through their We Got It 4 Cheap mixtape series, which featured Clipse and Philadelphia rappers Ab-Liva and Sandman. The group was known collectively as the Re-Up Gang. We Got it 4 Cheap Vol. 1, which was the first official collection of new material from Clipse since the release of their debut album Lord Willin', was released in 2004 and received positive reviews from critics. Vol. 2 of the series was released in 2005 received widespread critical acclaim. It is considered to be one of the best mixtape of the 2000s. Online music magazine Pitchfork placed the tape at number 130 on their list of top 200 albums of the 2000s, and number 2 on their list of the top 50 rap mixtapes of the millennium.
On May 9, 2006, Clipse finally reached an agreement with Jive Records. They were to release the album through its own Re-Up Records label along with Jive. They then toured with Ice Cube throughout May, and set the release date as August 29. Clipse dropped the first single, "Mr. Me Too" with Pharrell Williams on May 23, 2006. It peaked at number 65 on Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart. However, the release date of the album was pushed to October 31. On October 31, Clipse did not drop the album, instead dropped the single "Wamp Wamp (What It Do)" with Slim Thug. The song peaked at number 96 on Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart. Hell Hath No Fury was finally released on November 28, 2006. The album received universal acclaim with many publications citing it to be the duo's best. The hip hop magazine XXL magazine gave the album a "XXL" rating, marking it as a five-star album. Only five albums had previously received that honor. The album currently holds an average score of 89 on Metacritic. It debuted at number 14 on the Billboard 200, selling 80,000 copies in its first week. The album would go on to receive high positions on many publications year and decade end charts, and is considered to be one of the best albums of the 2000s.
In November 2008, Clipse announced the launch of their fashion line, Play Cloths. A mixtape called Road to Till the Casket Drops was released on December 1, 2008, in promotion of the line and their upcoming album. Til the Casket Drops was released on December 8, 2009. In a departure from the group's previous works, which only featured production from the Neptunes, the album was produced by Sean Combs' production team the Hitmen, and DJ Khalil. The album did not fare as well commercially as the group's first two albums, peaking at number 41 on the Billboard Hot 200 albums chart, selling 31,000 copies in its first week.
In 2011, Malice published his book Wretched, Pitiful, Poor, Blind & Naked. The book is a memoir about his life, including fearing contracting HIV, as well as his conversion to Christianity. In 2012, he changed his stage name to No Malice. He felt his previous name had a negative meaning and now wanted to spread positive messages. He collaborated with Lecrae on his mixtape Church Clothes, in the song "Darkest Hour". In 2013, he released his debut studio album Hear Ye Him via Reinvision, which featured his brother, reuniting on the track "Shame the Devil". In 2016, he released the documentary The End Of Malice, which recalled the exact moment Clipse broke up and why. His second studio album, Let the Dead Bury the Dead was released in 2017 by Reinvision.
Despite various rumors of a Clipse reunion, No Malice said at SXSW in 2014, that the duo was finished and there would not be another Clipse album. By 2016, No Malice indicated he was open to a Clipse reunion, saying, "I'ma tell you that I learned to never say never, and I don't shut the door on anything. I really don't. In fact, I would like to see Clipse do it... I’ve said it before, my brother and I would definitely make clown soup out of all these MCs. Now that much I know."
The two debuted a new song in June 2024, titled "Birds Don't Sing", at a Louis Vuitton fashion show. Shortly afterwards they announced their work on new music and a new album, entirely produced by Pharrell Williams. Clipse revealed the title of their upcoming fourth studio album, Let God Sort Em Out, their first album since 2009, featuring potential guest appearances by Kendrick Lamar, Nas, John Legend, and Stove God Cooks, among others. By the end of 2024, No Malice announced the duo's signing with Def Jam Recordings, in anticipation for their upcoming album.
On May 30, 2025, Clipse released "Ace Trumpets", as the lead single for their upcoming album, which was mostly recorded at the Louis Vuitton headquarters in Paris, France, and was released in collaboration with Roc Nation on July 11.
On June 2025, during an interview with GQ, the duo revealed that they were dropped from the Def Jam label as well as Pusha T as a solo artist, and also confirmed Kendrick Lamar's appearance in Let God Sort Em Out. The next day, Pusha T's longtime manager Steven Victor revealed during an interview with Billboard that the rapper actually had to pay an undisclosed seven-figure sum to be dropped from the Def Jam label, in order to be released from both Clipse's and his own contractual obligations, elaborating further how the label has been suppressing Pusha T's collaborations with other artists and even his own music releases since his feud with Canada rapper Drake in 2018.
A final teaser track, "So Be It", was sent to DJs and previewed on June 16. "So Be It" was released as a promotional single with a music video the next day, and GQ published a follow-up article (with unused excerpts from the interview) in which the song was discussed, including lyrics from Pusha T which diss former GOOD Music labelmate Travis Scott.
During 2025 Jubilee, the "World Meeting on Human Fraternity 2025" took place on the St. Peter's Square at the Vatican City on 12 and 13 September, with concert of Andrea Bocelli, Pharrell Williams with the gospel choir Voices of Fire, and John Legend. Clipse performed the song "The Birds Don't Sing" along with John Legend at the second date during the Grace For The World concert on September 13, making history for being the first Rapping to ever perform at the Vatican City.
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